Going to Wuhan was already familiar to Li Yu, who still took the inland waterway upstream along the Yangtze River.
To be honest, it is quite troublesome, but this situation will soon improve, and the Beijing-Hankow Railway will be fully open to traffic in two years.
But I have to say that due to encountering many major events, the speed of repair is indeed a bit slow.
In fact, even within the Qing court, even die-hards such as Cixi, who once hated railways, understood the importance of the Beijing-Hankow Railway and the subsequent Wuhan-Guangzhou Guangdong-Hankow Railway to connect the north and the south.
At that time, except for the Yangtze River, which was unable to build a bridge across the river, Beijing could be directly connected to Guangzhou by railway, passing through several major provinces.
But the Qing court would not live to see the day when the Guangdong-Han Railway was repaired.
Due to the importance of inland shipping, there are now quite a few ports on both sides of the Yangtze River. In particular, there is a concession in Hankou, which is quite prosperous.
After the Beijing-Hankou Railway is opened to traffic and the city wall of Hankou is demolished, Hankou will develop faster.
The person who came to greet Li Yu at the pier was Liang Dingfen, the current magistrate of Wuchang. He was also the chief promoter of the Literature Hall of the Academic Affairs Office in charge of education in Hubei province.
He has always been favored by Zhang Zhidong and is one of Zhang Zhidong's most important staff.
During Zhang Zhidong's official career, Liang Dingfen played a key role at many points.
Hubei was managed carefully by Zhang Zhidong. From 1889 when he served as governor of Huguang until he came to Beijing in 1907, Zhang Zhidong supervised Hubei for nearly 18 years. Among them, he made the most outstanding achievements in education, and Liang Dingfen was his most capable. assistant.
Next year, Zhang Zhidong will directly appoint Liang Dingfen as the general manager of the Academic Affairs Office to thoroughly manage the academic affairs of Hubei Province.
What Liang Dingfen was most proud of in his life was the great cause of education created jointly with Zhang Zhidong, and he even brought up a pair of door curtains:
"Chu materials will be useful and teach six thousand people to become gentlemen."
Li Yu stepped off the steamer, and Liang Dingfen came over to greet him and said, "It's an honor for the Imperial Master to come here again."
Li Yu said: "Master Liang is polite."
Then he introduced Xie Yuxi next to him: "This is Ms. Xie Yuxi from the United States. She manages an education fund."
At this time, the Chinese people's attitude towards the United States was relatively good. After all, the Americans had not engaged in any aggressive activities.
Liang Dingfen clasped her fists and said, "It's thousands of miles away, so hard work!"
Li Yudao: "The foundation wants to set up a school in Wuchang so that students can continue their studies in the future and have the opportunity to study in the United States."
Liang Dingfen has recommended many people to study in Japan before, and of course he knows the benefits of studying abroad. "This is a great thing! Today's situation is full of waste and a shortage of talents. If more talents can be cultivated, it will be a major matter for the country. .”
Li Yu said: "As for the selection of the site, we..."
Liang Dingfen didn't wait for him to finish, and interrupted: "I already got the news when the Imperial Master just went south. I discussed with the Governor Zhang Zhidong, and he chose a good place for you. One or two There is no need for the Imperial Master to pay for the money."
Li Yu smiled and said, "There is another good thing."
Liang Dingfen said: "Master Zhang is anxious to find outstanding Western talents, and the Imperial Master can be a help in times of need. But the condition is that at least some of the students he trains must return to the province."
"This is a reasonable request." Of course Li Yu and Xie Yuxi had to agree, after all, they saved tens of thousands of taels of silver.
Liang Dingfen called to his men to bring over the carriage: "Let's go check it out first."
On the way, Liang Dingfen took out a map and showed it to Li Yu: "The location is next to the Lianghu University Hall, next to the beautiful Dusi Lake."
Lianghu University Hall was the former Lianghu Academy.
Li Yu looked at the map and the area was indeed quite large. It exceeded 200 acres, which was directly beyond expectations.
Moreover, this place is very close to the later Xinhai Revolution Memorial Hall and Shouyi Park.
The location is quite meaningful, and one can almost imagine that future students will inevitably be affected by the Revolution of 1911, or even participate in it.
Liang Dingfen had already ordered the government officials to mark out the area. Looking around, it was extremely flat.
And looking to the west, you can see the rolling Yangtze River five or six hundred meters away.
"It's a wonderful place that makes people feel relaxed and happy. Mr. Zhang and Mr. Liang are really generous." Li Yu said with emotion.
Liang Dingfen said with a smile: "What's wrong with this? We will also contribute to the construction of the school in the future to ensure that the Imperial Master's school opens as soon as possible."
Li Yu smiled and said, "My lord, you may have done a little too much."
Liang Dingfen said: "The funds are all allocated from the funds. It just so happens that there is a balance this year, so we don't need to use it in vain. It's just that we only know the methods of civil construction, but not the way of Western learning. The real soul of the school still needs the guidance of the imperial master in the future." Come in."
Li Yu cupped his fists and said, "I will definitely live up to the trust of Master Zhang and Master Liang."
Liang Dingfen said: "We have great confidence in the Imperial Master."
Li Yu said: "We are all emperors...ah, we are all people who are willing to educate each other."
Li Yu almost let it slip that Liang Dingfen later became the teacher of the last emperor Puyi.
Liang Dingfen was also considered an outlier in the political arena of the late Qing Dynasty. He had impeached Li Hongzhang when he was only a seventh-rank official and was almost dismissed.
In a few years, Yi Kuang and Yuan Shikai will continue to be impeached...
Anyway, he was eventually dismissed from office.
After seeing the construction land, Liang Dingfen took Li Yu and the others to the mansion for a banquet.
While they were enjoying their meal, Huang Xing, who was in Changsha, found Xiong Xiling.
Xiong Xiling was an important figure during the Republic of China, but at this time he no longer had an official position and was running education in Hunan.
Previously, he was a strong supporter of the reform movement, and he also ran a political school with Tan Sitong.
Guangxu personally called Xiong Xiling to come to Beijing for an audience. However, he suffered from dysentery due to careless eating on the way, so he had to return to Hengyang to recuperate and did not come to Beijing in the end.
Subsequently, the Reform Movement of 1898 failed, and Tan Si and other six gentlemen who participated in the reform in Beijing were killed at the same time. Xiong Xiling escaped this fatal disaster due to illness, but he was also punished by "dismissal from his post, never to be reused, and handed over to local officials for strict control." Punishment.
So now he can only engage in education in a few areas of Hunan.
Today's development in Hunan is actually relatively rapid across the country.
After all, the Hunan Army was the first to develop in modern history. Zeng Guofan brought wealth from all over the country to Hunan, and he also attached great importance to education. With such huge dividends, Hunan was filled with talents for more than half a century.
And not one after another, but one after another.
The rise of the Hunan system, and the railway passing through Hunan, caused the status of Jiangxi, once a north-south transshipment hub, to plummet.
Of course, the Guangdong-Hankou Railway can only go through Hunan.
Because there are so many mountains in southern Jiangxi, the technology at this time could not solve the engineering problems at all.
Although there are many mountains in the west of Hunan, due to the influence of several large rivers, the north and south plains are connected, making it very suitable for building railways.
Chen Baozhen, the governor of Hunan, who had also strongly supported the Guangdong-Hankou Railway to go through Hunan, was even a native of Jiangxi.
——The "Ring of Jiangxi" pattern has actually started since the late Qing Dynasty.
In fact, Jiangxi has been in power for a long time in history. The reasons are firstly water transportation, secondly porcelain, thirdly because there are people in the court, and fourthly because the people are rich.
But the British learned how to make porcelain, which cut off part of their financial resources; they once shaved their heads and looted Jiangxi, leaving their family empty; the people in Jiangxi who happened to be in the imperial court were speechless; the railway went to Hunan again.
All four are gone...
Huang Xing came to Xiong Xiling's house and said to him: "The world-famous Academician Li Yu has arrived in Wuchang. He is here just for education. Why don't you invite him over to talk about it."
With the current traffic conditions, Xiong Xiling knew that it was impossible for Li Yu to run to Hunan at every turn, so he immediately agreed: "I will tell the governor that he is very concerned about education."
Huang Xing said: "It's no time to delay. Only the governor's office has telegrams and can quickly contact Wuchang."
Xiong Xiling had nothing else to do anyway, and the only thing he could do was education. For this purpose, he immediately found Zhao Erxun, the governor of Hunan, and informed him of Li Yu's situation.
Zhao Erxun is really serious about the New Deal. The most important thing in the local New Deal now is the establishment of new schools.
When Zhao Erxun heard the name "Li Yu", he quickly made a decision: "Changsha must also vigorously develop Western education and cannot lag behind others! He must be invited to come."
Xiong Xiling said: "I will prepare the message right now."
Xiong Xiling was about to pick up the pen, but was blocked by someone.
"My lord, please think twice!"
The speaker was Wang Xianqian. Not many people knew his name, but his position was quite famous: Head of the Yuelu Academy.
That is, the dean of Yuelu Academy.
And he happens to be the last mountain chief.
As one of the four most famous academies in history, Yuelu Academy produced two outstanding figures, Zeng Guofan and Zuo Zongtang, in the late Qing Dynasty, and its status remains transcendent.
We have the habit of respecting teachers since ancient times, so the social status of the headmaster of Yuelu Academy has always been very high.
Zhao Erxun asked: "Master Wang Shan, don't know where you need to think twice?"
Wang Xianqian said: "The governor has just come to Hunan to take charge of affairs, but has he forgotten the revolutionary bad things that happened in the local area?"
When Tang Cichang's self-reliant army uprising had just failed, Wang Xianqian and his disciple Ye Dehui reported to Yu Liansan, the then governor of Hunan. As a result, more than a hundred Hunan reformers were killed, and they were once scolded by Hunan people as "evil gentry and idiots".
Wang Xianqian is a typical conservative who is very resistant to the so-called "Western learning" and "reform".
Xiong Xiling was originally implicated because of the reform, and he has always held a grudge against Wang Xianqian for informing him. He said angrily: "Has the commander forgotten the strong ships and guns of the British and French again? I don't know who forgot!"
Wang Xianqian said unhurriedly: "Internal worries are worse than foreign ones. I have been in charge of the school for many years and have met many students who tried to achieve revolutionary reform, but their end was terrible. The new style of school will only encourage the revolutionary spirit and do more harm than good to our Qing Dynasty as a whole. .”
Xiong Xiling asked back: "The mountain chief has another strategy to retreat from the enemy?"
Wang Xianqian said: "Hasn't the enemy already retreated now?"
Xiong Xiling was stunned: "Chief, you don't know that all this is at the cost of ceding land and paying compensation! Is this also a strategy to retreat from the enemy? No one in the world can accept it!"
Wang Xianqian didn't take it seriously: "It's just a matter of time, why not endure humiliation and seek perfection?"
"Even if you endure the humiliation and ask for mercy, what can the mountain chief do to make Gou Jian the king again?"
Wang Xianqian was speechless for a moment: "There must be a way..."
Zhao Erxun was also a little upset and said to Xiong Xiling: "Bingsan (Character Xiong Xiling), you go to the telegraph room to draft a report."
Wang Xianqian stood up and said: "Sir, you must think twice!"
Zhao Erxun pointed to his head: "I have thought about it four or five times!"
——
After Li Yu, who was in Wuchang, saw Xiong Xiling's telegram, he thought of his previous meeting with Huang Xing and Chen Tianhua, which was not far away anyway, so he decided to go there.
As mentioned above, Hunan’s education is not weak today.
Of course, with Zhang Zhidong’s management, Hubei is not bad either.
Since the Yangtze River and Xiangjiang River are connected, it is not troublesome to go from Wuhan to Changsha by water even if there is no railway yet.
Xiong Xiling even came directly to Yueyang to wait for Li Yu.
After Xiong Xiling boarded the ship, he looked around and saw Li Yu after shaving his hair.
"Master Imperial Master, you are really easy to find!"
Li Yu was surprised: "Who is your Excellency?"
"I'm Xiong Xiling, courtesy name Bingsan."
Li Yu quickly shook hands with him: "Nice to meet you!"
Of course Li Yu had heard of Xiong Xiling. After all, he had been the prime minister during the Beiyang government, and he had formed the cabinet together with Liang Qichao, Zhang Jian and others.
Xiong Xiling said: "After I learned from my fellow villager Huang Xing that you were coming to Changsha, I can't wait to see you."
Li Yu smiled and said, "It's only a few days away."
"Among the 40 million people today, it is very difficult to find someone who is as proficient in Western learning as the Imperial Master!" Xiong Xiling was in a good mood and said, "I wonder if the Imperial Master has ever been to Hunan. Would you like to stop by the famous Yueyang Tower?" look?"
Yueyang Tower was repeatedly damaged and was rebuilt in the late Qing Dynasty.
Li Yu had visited the three famous buildings in the south of the Yangtze River before traveling, so he said: "No need, just remember Fan Wenzhenggong's spirit of 'worry before the world's worries, and rejoice after the world's happiness'. Let's start building it as soon as possible." It is important for the school to stand on the earth together with the Yueyang Tower."
Xiong Xiling was in awe, and then mentioned the situation he encountered when drafting the telegram: "There is still some resistance to the construction of a new school in Changsha Prefecture, and it comes from the president of Yuelu Academy, who is well-known in Hunan's education circles. But regarding the new school, I I think the new governor, Mr. Zhao, will agree."
Li Yu wondered: "What's there to stop this kind of thing?"
Xiong Xiling said: "If the academy has fewer students, of course it will not agree."
Li Yu's mind turned around and he immediately came up with a bad idea: "That's easy to say! Then you can give the governor direct advice. Now that the imperial court has issued an order, the academy will be transformed into a school, and Yuelu Academy will be directly converted into a higher education institution. If he is not willing to continue to be a mountain master at that time, Chief, just fire me."
Xiong Xiling slapped the railing: "The Imperial Master is the Imperial Master, this method is great!"
Li Yu is also following the trend. Anyway, according to the historical process, Yuelu Academy will definitely be merged into the new school and eventually become part of Hunan University.
Xiong Xiling continued: "When we arrive in Changsha, I will call the mountain chief of Yuelu Academy to the governor's office. You will be in charge. I don't think Wang Xianqian can have any objections!"
Li Yu: "..."
Wow, I didn’t ask you to comment, why did you just take me out?
And once the mountain chief Wang Xianqian knew that it was him who proposed to change his Yuelu Academy into a new school, he would definitely not give up.
It's really confusing to think that this die-hard would be on par with Kong Lingyi of Qufu.
(End of chapter)
